Welcome to Stow, a picturesque New England village preparing to face the new millennium while keeping its roots firmly planted in 300 years of history. Primarily a farming community for much of its existence, Stow�s country-like character is stillevident in its open spaces, most of which are nowapple orchards, golf courses, and conservation lands.Within these pages, you will discover the classiccharm of Stow�s village center, with its pristine white church, town hall, library, and its one ...

The men in Charles Kenney's family have been drawn to firefighting since his grandfather Charles "Pops" Kenney joined the Boston Fire Department in 1932. In his working class, Irish-Catholic neighborhood, there were other jobs that offered a decent wage, but none had the sense of belonging that comes with being a fireman, or the purity of purpose that comes with saving lives. Pops was on the scene of the notorious Cocoanut Grove fire in 1942; the author's father, "Sonny" served with distin...

A lively history of Boston’s emergence as a world-class city—home to the likes of Frederick Douglass and Alexander Graham Bell—by a beloved Bostonian historian“It’s been quite a while since I’ve read anything—fiction or nonfiction—so enthralling.”—Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Shutter IslandOnce upon a time, “Boston Town” was an insulated New England township. But the community was destined for greatness. Betwe...

Although famous for his purported last words—“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”—few people know the real Nathan Hale. M. William Phelps brings into focus the life of this famed patriot and first spy of the American Revolution, charting Hale’s rural childhood, his education at Yale, and his work as a schoolteacher. Like many young Americans, he was soon drawn into the colonies’ war for independence and became a captain in Washington’s army. When the general was ...

A Place Apart features essays and firsthand accounts of notable experiences throughout Cape Cod, including native Wampanoag creation myths; eyewitness accounts of the landing of the Pilgrims in 1620; candid stories of early life in the Old Colony; fascinating and often-harrowing accounts of the whaling and fishing industries; and so much more.The collection includes famous passages by and about such writers as Melville, Thoreau, Helen Keller, Edmund Wilson...

Hudson has a history of remarkable characters and events, fromthe young Piscataqua woman who ignited King Philip's War to a successful kitten rescue during the Great Ice Flood of 1936. Meet the distinguished patrons who shaped Hudson's legacy, such as settler Nathaniel Cross, who famously escaped Indian capture, and Dr. Alfred Hills and his wife Virginia, namesakes of the many Alvirne buildings. Relive the heyday of Benson's Animal Farm, subject of community-wide nostalgia since its closin...

Puritan politician, lawyer, and lay theologian John Winthrop fled England in 1630 when it looked like Charles I had successfully blocked all hopes of passing Puritan-inspired reforms in Parliament. Leading a migration, he came to New England in the hopes of creating an ideal Puritan community and eventually became the governor of Massachusetts. Winthrop is remembered for his role in the Puritan migration to the colonies and for delivering what is probably the most famous lay sermon in Amer...

Throughout its rich and varied history, New Hampshire's White Mountains region has played host to explorers and adventurers, as well as grand hotels and their well-heeled guests. In this anthology of historical writing, local author Mike Dickerman captures the spirit, tenacity and resourcefulness of those who have lived, worked and played in these Great White Hills. His stories also bring to life dramatic events that scarred the landscape long ago, such as tragic plane crashes and the deva...

Newport, Rhode Island, was the summer playground of the Gilded Age for the Astors, Belmonts and Vanderbilts. They built lavish villas designed by the best Beaux Arts-style architects of the time, including Richard Morris Hunt, Charles McKim and Robert Swain Peabody. America's elite delighted in referring to these grand retreats as "summer cottages," where they would play tennis and polo and sail their yachts along the shores of the Ocean State. The coachman had an important role as the dis...

This volume contains a vast fund of information and anecdotes about old Boston, its notable buildings, markets, streets, and most memorable characters. The book is a perfect storehouse of information and one can only be amazed at the extent and accuracy of the information. The plan of grouping the most interesting neighborhoods, so as to embrace nearly the whole peninsula of Boston, is original.

Randy Trabold was the chief photographer for the North Adams Transcript from 1935 until he retired in 1979. Randy Trabold's Northern Berkshire County documents his formidable capacity to record the pulse of the northern Berkshire area-from tragedy to laughter and from the bizarre to the incredibly beautiful. While the book features familiar landmarks, such as North Adams, Williamstown, the Mohawk Trail, and Mount Greylock, it also takes a tour of the region's beautiful landscape, revisits ...

The smoke of cannon fire and the sound of rifles were not seen or heard in Newburyport, Massachusetts during the Civil War yet it was an all too familiar experience for many of its inhabitants. Local author William Hallett describes in thrilling detail the lives and deeds of those from the Clipper City that served both Union and Confederate causes. From the abolitionist preaching of William Lloyd Garrison to the heroism of Albert W. Bartlett, with naval warfare, including the construction ...